Volleyball score display device

ABSTRACT

A volleyball score display device designed to be detachably secured at an elevated position to one of the volleyball net support standards by means of a clamping assembly, wherein the score display components of the device consist of two pairs of sets of flexible numbered panels which are secured to and depend from a horizontal clamping support wherein one set of such panels is displayed to the left-center of court and the other set displayed to the right-center of a playing court such that the respective pairs of flexible numbered panels within the respective sets may be flipped over the support as required to display the current respective team scores during the progress of a volleyball game.

1 Dec.2,1975

[ 1 VOLLEYBALL SCORE DISPLAY DEVICE [76] Inventor: Gloria A. Krug, R.D. No. 5,

Hanover, Pa. 17331 221 Filed: July 10, 1974 21 Appl. No 486,971

[52] U.S. Cl. 40/102; 40/104.l8; 40/125 H;

116/134 [51] Int. Cl. G09F 7/18 [58] Fieldof Search 40/125 J, 125 H, 125 R,

40/102,104.11-104.18,145 R, 128; 116/134, 132 R, 173; 273/29 R, DIG. 26

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS United Kingdom 40/145 445,062 11/1912 France ..40/104.18

Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant ExaminerJohn F. Pitrelli Attorney, Agent, or FirmC. Hercus Just [57] ABSTRACT A volleyball score display device designed to be detachably secured at an elevated position to one of the volleyball net support standards by means of a clamp ing assembly, wherein the score display components of the device consist of two pairs of sets of flexible numbered panels which are secured to and depend from a horizontal clamping support wherein one set of such panels is displayed to the left-center of court and the other set displayed to the right-center of a playing court such that the respective pairs of flexible numbered panels within the respective sets may be flipped over the support as required to display the current respective team scores during the progress of a volleyball game.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 FIG. 5

VOLLEYBALL SCORE DISPLAY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Volleyball is a game played by two teams on a court separated in the center thereof by an elevated net. Generally, the object of said game is for one team to serve a relatively large inflated ball over said net and thereafter, by players striking said ball with their hands members of both teams attempt to prevent the ball from becoming grounded on their respective side of the court by keeping said ball in motion, in accordance with the rules of said game, alternately from side to side over said net. The Serving Team obtains a point when the Returning Team fails. However, if the Serving Team fails, the serve passes to the Returning Team and no point is scored. Only a single point is scored at a time, and a point is only obtained by the Serving Team if the Returning Team fails to keep the ball in play.

The magnitude of the total score required for a team to win a volleyball game may be determined by one of two ways. The first way, the traditional method, requires that the winning team is the one first to obtain points, by the scoring method heretofore described, with a two point lead in score over the opposing team, that is, the winning team would be that team which had scored 15 points with the opposing teams score being no more than 13 points. However, if the team which is in the scoring lead when it obtains 15 points is not ahead of the opposing team by at least a two point margin, the game continues to be played until at least a two point lead is obtained by one team over the other, which team thereupon is determined to be the winner of that particular game. Although it is conceivable, and sometimes does happen, that scores attain considerable values between teams attempting to win a game on a two point lead which did not exist when one team had obtained the 15 point level, in almost all circumstances, the winning teams score does not exceed a numerical value above the twenties.

The second method, an alternate method, for determining the winning team by total score requires that prior to commencement of a particular game the teams mutually agree that the game will last for a timed period of eight minutes of actual time that the ball is in play. Whichever team has obtained at least a two point lead over the other team at the end of the eight minute period of actual playing time, regardless of the highest score obtained, will be determined to be the winner of the game excepting, however, if neither team has a two point lead over the other at the end of eight minutes of actual playing time, the time element is thereafter discounted and play continues until one team does obtain a two point lead over the other team, regardless of the highest score thereafter achieved by the winning team. Again, although scores can attain considerable values between teams attempting to win on a two point margin which did not exist when the eight minutes of actual playing time were over, seldom does the winning teams score exceed a numerical value above the twenties.

It would be desirable, based upon a consideration of the general rules of the game of volleyball, in view of the two alternatives for determining that total scoring method by which a team would be declared a game winner, as heretofore set forth, to have available for spectators and players to see a score on a display device which would be on view to show the current score of a 2 volleyball game in progress. The current invention relates to such a device.

Game score display devices, exemplified, for example, by those such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,115,770 to Hartzell, dated May 3, 1938, and in US. Pat. No. 3,220,127 to Wilson, dated Nov. 30, 1965, have long been known. However, the art disclosed in both of the heretofore cited patents respectively reveals game score indicator and display devices which are mechanically sophisticated and consequently expensive, these features being two very important factors which immediately distinguish those disclosures from the present invention. Additionally, the device disclosed by Wilson is specifically designed for, and claimed to be, a device for displaying the score at any given point in a tennis match, whereas, as heretofore stated, the instant invention is specifically designed as a score display device for the game of volleyball, whereby the disclosure herein is distinguished. As will be shown, the present invention has utility features and new and useful advantages and improvements not heretofore disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a volleyball score display device which has as integral features thereof simplicity of design and structure such that employment of the device herein disclosed for the purpose intended is a much more economical alternative as well as being equally effective if not moreso, than other score display devices of more complicated design which may also be employed but are not specifically suited for the application and purpose herein stated.

It is another object to provide a volleyball score display device which is highly portable and may be easily and readily moved to, installed upon a volleyball net support pole, and thereafter removed therefrom to various other volleyball court locations and re-installed with equal ease and facility as and where required or desired.

A further object is to provide a volleyball score display device which is not only highly portable, easily operated to indicate current scores simply by flipping the necessary flexible scoring indicators, by player or scorekeeper and easily and conveniently stored when not in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a volleyball net and net support pos t showing a volleyball scoring device and the basic structure thereof with the flexible scoring panels depending therefrom, and further showing the manner in which said device is installed upon a volleyball net support post in position not visually blocked by net.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of a volleyball net support post with a volleyball scoring device installed thereon as seen in FIG. 1, and further showing the flexible scoring panels depending therefrom and reflecting, as said scoring panels would appear at the beginning of a volleyball game, that neither team had obtained scored.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1, except showing the manner in which said flexible scoring panels are transversely flipped to reflect respective team scores during the progress of a volleyball game.

3 FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2, except showing exemplary single digit scores obtained by respective teams during the progress of a volleyball game.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4, except showing exemplary tens digit scores obtained by respective teams during the progress of a volleyball game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, a volleyball score display device is shown in side elevation installed by means of a U- bolt clamping assembly 12 upon a volleyball net support post 14 to which one end of the volleyball net 16 is also attached. Said score display device 10 further consists of two sets of two stacks each of a plurality of flexible numbered score display panels, all of which panels are represented in the FIG. 1 end view of said score display device 10 by the bracketed designation C. Said sets of two stacks each of a plurality of flexible numbered score display panels C are each retained in said device 10 by separate insertion of screws 18 through a backing bar or member 20, thereafter each of said screws 18 being inserted through each of said plurality of flexible numbered score display panels and thereafter conjoinedly affixed in mechanical and compressive retention to a facing bar or member 22 by means of said screws 18. Also shown in the U-belt 24, wing nuts 26, and washers 27, which comprises the U- bolt clamping assembly 12, whereby said score display device 10 may be easily installed upon or removed from a volleyball net support post when and where desired or required. The various components of said score display device 10 may be constructed of metal, wood, or plastic, or any combination thereof, or any other suitable material, but it is preferred that the flexible display panels C shall be formed from flexible plastic sheet material, such as vinyl.

Referring to FIG. 2, in order to explain in more detail the construction of this invention, a front elevation view of said scoring device 10 is shown. The two sets of two stacks each of a plurality of flexible numbered score display panels, previously designated in the FIG. 1 end view as C, are more particularly shown. The set of two stacks of a plurality of flexible numbered score display panels to the left-front of said volleyball net support post 14 are designated A to represent the score of Team A, whereas the set of two stacks of a plurality of flexible numbered score display panels to the rightfront of said volleyball net support post 14 are designated B to represent the score of Team B. Within each set A and B there is respectively included stack 28a and 28b, each of said stacks being the right-hand most stack in each of said sets A and B, the same also being the single digit score display members, and comprised of a blank facing member 30a and 30b, with rearwardly successive flexible score display panels 32a and 32b therebeneath, consecutively numbered from 1 to 0. Of said sets, panel members 32a and 32b are appropriately displayed, as shown in FIG. 4 for example, to show the current single digit score of the respective Teams A and B. Additionally within each said set A and B there is also respectively included tens designation stacks 34a and 34b, each of said stacks being the left-hand most stack in each of said sets A and B, and comprised of a blank facing member 360 and 36b with rearwardly successive flexible score display panels 38a and 38b therebeneath consecutively numbered from 1 to 2 which such panel members 38a and 38b are appropriately displayed in FIG. 5, for example, to show the current 4 score of the respective Teams A and B. As a practical matter, since volleyball game scores seldom exceed values in the twenties, the highest tens value score panel designators 38a and 38b is the numeral 2, or any higher numeral which may be required for the game being played.

The view seen in FIG. 3 is similar to the side elevation seen in FIG. 1, but, however, showing that certain of said flexible panel members C have been rotatably flipped over from the right side to the left side so as to display respective Team scores such as, for example, those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The view seen in FIG. 4 is similar to the front elevation view seen in FIG. 2, except that certain of the right-hand most flexible score display members 28a and 28b in sets A and B, as shown in side elevation in FIG. 3, have been rotatably flipped in order to display the current single digit scores of respective Teams A and B during the course of an ongoing volleyball game.

The view seen in FIG. 5 is similar to the front elevation view seen in FIG. 4, except that certain of the lefthand most flexible score display members 38a and 38b, in addition to certain of the right-hand most flexible score display members 28a and 28b, have been rotatably flipped in order to display the current tens score values of respective Teams A and B during the course of an. ongoing volleyball game. In use, especially as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, it will be seen that the length of the depending portions of all the score-indicating members or panels of all sets thereof are at least twice as long as they are wide and this substantially insures that the same will hang downward in use and not tend to flip upward.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its several preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A score display device for volleyball games comprising in combination, two sets of pairs of multiple flexible score indicia panel members substantially longer than the width thereof, each set comprising a left-hand group of limited number of such members displaying the ten digits of the score of one team and a right-hand group of ten panel members bearing in succession numerical digits from one to nine and zero, said panel members being thin and flexible and formed from durable sheet material of synthetic resin, a pair of rigid clamping bars adapted to be mounted horizontally, bolt-like members extending through said bars and the upper ends of said groups of flexible score indicia panel members to clamp the same securely between said clamping bars with said sets of panel members respectively being positioned at opposite sides of the midpoint of said bars and the left-hand group of each set being located to the left of the right-hand group of each set when positioned in use, said sets of panel members initially extending upward, across and hanging downward in use from one side of said bars to display the indicia thereon in depending manner and each group of panel members initially having a blank panel member outermost, the flexibility of said members permitting the same readily to be flipped backward in use over the top of said bars and the length thereof being sufficient to enable the weight of said members to insure that said members will hang downward on the opposite side thereof to reveal on the next adjacent member the next indicia corresponding to the score of the teams, a U- bolt having legs extending through holes in the midpor- 5 tron of said bars and adapted to be mounted upon a vertical pole at one end of the net of a volleyball court, and nuts threaded upon said legs to secure said bars and deciable tendency to flip upward in use. 

1. A score display device for volleyball games comprising in combination, two sets of pairs of multiple flexible score indicia panel members substantially longer than the width thereof, each set comprising a left-hand group of limited number of such members displaying the ten digits of the score of one team and a right-hand group of ten panel members bearing in succession numerical digits from one to nine and zero, said panel members being thin and flexible and formed from durable sheet material of synthetic resin, a pair of rigid clamping bars adapted to be mounted horizontally, bolt-like members extending through said bars and the upper ends of said groups of flexible score indicia panel members to clamp the same securely between said clamping bars with said sets of panel members respectively being positioned at opposite sides of the midpoint of said bars and the left-hand group of each set being located to the left of the right-hand group of each set when positioned in use, said sets of panel members initially extending upward, across and hanging downward in use from one side of said bars to display the indicia thereon in depending manner and each group of panel members initially having a blank panel member outermost, the flexibility of said members permitting the same readily to be flipped backward in use over the top of said bars and the length thereof being sufficient to enable the weight of said members to insure that said members will hang downward on the opposite side thereof to reveal on the next adjacent member the next indicia corresponding to the score of the teams, a U-bolt having legs extending through holes in the midportion of said bars and adapted to be mounted upon a vertical pole at one end of the net of a volleyball court, and nuts threaded upon said legs to secure said bars and depending panel members to said pole.
 2. The score display device according to claim 1 in which the length of said flexible panel members is at least substantially twice the width thereof in use to cause them to normally hand downward with no appreciable tendency to flip upward in use. 